Cooler Master Cosmos II Ultra Tower Review

Introduction:

Who likes a good case? If you spend any amount of time lurking around these forums, then the answer is probably you. With all of the dire predictions of the desktop PC going the way of the Edsel and the Corvair, you would be hard pressed to explain that forecast by looking at the recent releases of the case manufacturers. If you’re like me (and I know I am) you see Computer cases as unmitigated potential. It’s a chance to put your stamp of personality and signature on your machine. You can also choose to advertise (or conceal) what nasty data pushing hardware is lurking within. Regardless of whether you choose loud and outrageous, or quiet and conservative. The computer case is usually one of the more fun and choice filled purchases of your build.

I was very pleased to hear that I would be getting the opportunity to review this case. As a boutique builder it has been my observation that owners of the original Cosmos and the slightly sexier Cosmos ‘S’ have been, and continue to be some of the most loyal and satisfied case owners I have spoken with. There has also been quite a buzz around the enthusiast forums regarding expectations about what form the update to the original 2007 version of this now iconic enclosure would take. Cooler Master has even seen fit to create the "Cosmos II Countdown Clock" in anticipation of its release. Well the clock has hit zero, let's see what Cooler Master has come up with.

I happened to be walking out of the door at the same time a pair of burly, brown clad fellows were setting a box the size of a smart car on my front stoop. Once I wrestled the massive box into the house, I found a very travel weary and battered full retail box. Kudos to Cooler Master for the care they took in packaging this thing. They had reinforced every edge of the box with heavy duty cardboard cornering and stretch wrapped it within an inch of its life...and as it turned out, it was needed. Several of the cardboard edgings were broken, and three holes were punched clean through the retail box.

Closer look:

The retail box took the usual opportunities to extol the virtues of the case inside. The front of the box had a large, almost full size picture of the new design, while the back of the box pointed out things such as fan sizes and removable filters. All sides of the box however, made sure you knew that you were dealing with an "Ultra Tower Chassis"

The internal packaging was rather basic, but secure. Inside I found the case wrapped in what seemed to be a 6 mil poly bag, and form fitting Styrofoam at either end. It was actually rather easy to extract from the box for a change. I could have lifted it straight out of the box myself...if I was eleven feet tall. Once I extracted it from the box and pulled the poly bag off, I had the impression that I was looking at something special here. I spend a great deal of time at my local Micro-Center with a tape measure in hand scouting the right case for customer builds. I have noticed that more often than not, you can see the exact point where a manufacturer ran out of "price point budget". As a result, certain features are missing or poorly executed. Shortly after the 'unboxing' of the Cosmos II, this appeared to not be the case

If you really like cases , or are looking for candidates for that next high end build. I think you will want to stick around for a few clicks while I attempt to paint a picture of what the new Cosmos II has to offer the enthusiast in you.